For your situation, i’d go safety-first: the strap should (1) not saw into the lugs, (2) not let metal touch the body, and (3) not slowly loosen while you’re walking.

- **Lug protection is non-negotiable:** If you’re going straight onto the M lugs, use soft keepers or a proper protector. Better: use Leica-style split rings + a strap that attaches to rings (and add tiny leather/silicone guards so the ring can’t rub). It’s boring, but it prevents the “mystery brassing” over time.

- **If you want quick adjust + no twist:** Peak Design Slide Lite Camera Strap (Black) is kinda the practical answer. The webbing has grip, it doesn’t rotate as much, and the quick-adjust tab is actually one-handed. Just make sure the anchors aren’t contacting the body anywhere (and check them for fuzzing).

- **If you want classic + quiet:** Oberwerth Leather Camera Strap (Black) (or similar Oberwerth M straps) tends to sit flatter and stays silent—no dangly hardware. Leather also “grabs” a jacket better than slick nylon, so less sliding.

- **Rope straps:** comfy, but be careful—some use metal rings/clasps that clink and can scratch. If you go rope, pick one with leather end tabs and minimal metal.

- **What to avoid:** bare metal clips, thin unprotected nylon directly on lugs, and any adjuster that can slip under load (test it by yanking hard a few times).

Hope that helps… i’ve learned the hard way lol

Quick question—are you using Leica’s split rings on the lugs, or the strap is directly on the lugs? That detail realy changes what’s “safe.” Basically, for quiet + no twist, I’ve been happy with a thin leather strap with a sliding adjuster like Arte di Mano Easy Slider Leather Strap or Tap & Dye Minimal Leather Camera Strap—both sit flat and dont clink much if you avoid big metal buckles. What strap length are you aiming for (like 100cm vs 120cm)?

- In my experience, for an M + 35mm, a thin leather strap with built-in quick adjust is the sweet spot: Leica Carrying Strap with Shoulder Pad (Leather) 14312 sits flat, looks right, and stays quiet if you keep metal off the body.
- If you wanna go rope, COOPH 100cm Rope Strap (Black, 10mm) is grippy and lowkey comfy, but add leather lug protectors and avoid split rings/metal triangles—thats usually what scratches and clinks. cheers

@Reply #6 - good point! Honestly looking at all these suggestions, there is a lot to digest.

• We have seen everything from the high end leather that takes ages to break in to the DIY stuff.
• Lug protection is clearly the big winner for everyone here so that is something to keep in mind.
• The comfort vs style debate is basically the eternal Leica struggle lol. Coming back to this, the whole thread reminds me of my buddy who inherited an old M4 years ago. He was so obsessed with finding the perfect period-accurate strap that he tracked down this weird vintage cord from a seller in Germany. It arrived smelling like fifty years of pipe tobacco and stale beer. He tried soaking it in every cleaner known to man but nothing worked. Eventually, he tried to sun-dry it on his balcony but a pigeon decided it looked like a nest and basically shredded the thing. He spent six months and way too much money just to end up with a pile of bird-pecked string. Never even got to use it for street shooting because the smell was so distracting it would give him a headache. Classic Leica experience right there... just a total rabbit hole that leads nowhere.

I actually have to disagree slightly with the push for those high-end boutique leather options. I've spent years doing my own 'market research'—basically buying way too many straps—and I’ve found that the luxury leather segment often prioritizes aesthetics over actual ergonomics for long street sessions. 1. **The 'Break-in' Factor:** Many premium straps I’ve tested are just too stiff. I once spent months trying to soften a 'minimalist' leather strap, but it never draped right, which is why ur camera is probably bouncing or not sitting flat.
2. **Torsional Rigidity:** If ur dealing with twisting, flat geometry is the enemy. I moved away from flat leather to a thick, circular woven cord setup. Because it’s round, it literally can’t 'twist' or sit the wrong way against ur jacket. It just glides when you bring it to your eye.
3. **The 'Leica Tax':** Honestly, the friction coefficient on many 'designer' straps is all wrong—they're either too slippery on a coat or too grippy on a shirt. I eventually settled on a technical cord with no metal hardware at all (just high-strength loops). It’s dead silent and has zero risk of scratching the lugs. Sometimes the simplest industrial materials beat the bespoke stuff for actual 8-hour days in the field.

Honestly, I have been shooting M cameras for a long time but I only recently started looking into this from a DIY angle. I am still kind of a beginner with the actual leatherwork, but I love the idea of a custom fit. Tbh, the store-bought stuff is always either too long or has too much clinky hardware for me... I have found that building your own is a great way to solve the slipping and twisting issues you mentioned. Here is why a DIY approach might work for you:

• You can use high quality climbing cord which is super strong but really low profile and wont twist as much as flat nylon.
• Instead of metal adjusters, you can use a simple friction knot or Plastic Cord Locks which keeps things totally silent and scratch-free.
• You can add your own lug protectors using small pieces of scrap leather or even just some heat shrink tubing. If you want to try it, check out tutorials on Instructables for camera straps or search YouTube for simple paracord weaves. It gives you way more control over the length than anything you can buy off a shelf. Have you ever thought about what specific length would be perfect for you?

No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.